


In the Beginning

by Creirdyddlydd



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Childhood Love, Cute Doctor/Rose, F/M, First Kiss, First Meeting, Halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2019-10-18 22:09:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17589293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Creirdyddlydd/pseuds/Creirdyddlydd
Summary: Young Theta and Koschei have taken a joyride in a time capsule to experience the Earth tradition of Halloween, when Theta is knocked off his feet (literally) by young Rose Tyler.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I'm aware it's January. I started work on a scary Halloween story in late September, but realized scary just isn't my thing so I scrapped it. Then this idea came to me on Halloween, which gave me no time to write it, then we moved in early November, then the holidays, so here we are. It's January and I give you a Halloween story. :) Despite the timing, I hope you enjoy!

“Come on, Koschei!”

Koschei huffed and puffed behind his eager friend. “Where are we going, anyway?”

“Sol 3 in Mutter’s Spiral! Or Earth, as the humans call it.” Theta turned and smiled widely at him, causing him to roll his eyes.

Here they were, with a plan to take a time capsule for a joyride – anywhere in time and space at their disposal – and does Theta want to go anywhere fun and exciting? No, just to some silly little blue and green planet full of primitive life forms. “And just _why_ are we going to Sol 3?”

Theta spun to face Koschei, his crimson Academy robes flaring dramatically around him, which caused another little smile as he watched the heavy fabric settle. Their Cultures of the Universe class had focused on the traditions of Sol 3 this week and he was eager to experience one of them. “Don’t you remember the lesson about Halloween?”

At Koschei’s blank look, he continued. “It’s this brilliant holiday where the children dress up and go out and collect candy. Why _wouldn’t_ we go?”

Koschei gave in with a small smile of his own. Really, Theta’s enthusiasm was infectious. “Fine. Sol 3 it is.”

They finally reached the capsule area and hid behind a large building to plan. The two guards were pacing in opposite directions, so there was never a time when both were turned away. Koschei grabbed a pebble from the ground and threw it as hard as he could at a nearby metal container. As soon as both guards turned instinctively toward the sound, the boys made their move and dashed toward the waiting capsules. 

****  
She sang joyfully at his arrival. She had known he was coming, had always known and knew they would meet again. Once her Thief, always her Thief. Even if right now, he was just a baby Thief. She allowed the two young Time Lords-in-training through her doors and held back the urge to welcome her Thief telepathically. It wasn’t time for that, yet.

****

Theta studied the controls around the console. He could hear the guards shouting at them from outside and knew they’d lose their chance if they didn’t get going now. Various buttons lit up and he grinned as the ship seemed to lead him through the dematerialization sequence.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Koschei hissed as he ran his eyes over the controls on the portion of console in front of him. The fact that they hadn’t even begun their time capsule training hadn’t registered to him until that moment.

“Nope! She’s leading me.”

Koschei’s eyebrow arched up his forehead. “She?”

Theta just shrugged as he threw a lever. “Seems like a ‘she’.”

There was a moment where the only sound was that of the time rotor chugging up and down before the capsule rocked violently as it whirled through the vortex. Koschei just hoped they were lucky enough to not get thrown into a supernova as he tightened his grip on the railing around the console. The commotion lasted only a few seconds until, with a hard thud that flung both boys to the grating, the capsule stopped suddenly. Koschei picked himself up and turned toward Theta. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

Koschei rushed around the console and looked at the monitor. “It says we made it,” he whispered in disbelief. “We did it!”

The two boys began to laugh at their success and jogged for the doors, flinging them wide to see the foreign world before them. 

****

Children and parents flooded the evening streets, lighting up the encroaching darkness with flashlights, glow sticks and brightly colored costumes. “Oh, this is amazing!” Theta breathed as he stepped out of the ship and waited for Koschei to exit before closing the doors. 

As Theta looked around in wonder, Koschei took off to look around a larger area. “Meet me back here in three Earth hours!” 

“Koschei, wait!” Before he got more than a few steps, he was barreled into by a small human child. 

“OH! I’m so sorry!” A tiny, scalding hand grabbed his to help him to his feet. “I told Shareen we needed to slow down, but she never listens.”

Theta finally focused on his attacker, a girl of around twelve Earth years stood before him, with large hazel eyes and a mesmerizing smile that had him staring at her silently. He noticed she was practically glowing gold and was transfixed by the infinite possible timelines surrounding her. Most humans had a few hundred, and as the years passed and decisions were made, the number dwindled. This girl was radiant with more timelines than he had ever seen one being possess. He finally noticed her smile had slipped and she was speaking. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“I asked if you were all right?”

“Oh, yes, yes, fine.” He nodded emphatically and the girl giggled.

“I’m Rose.”

“Rose,” he repeated. “I’m Theta.”

Rose cocked her head to the side. “That’s an unusual name.”

“My family’s not from around here.”

Rose’s smile turned shy as she gazed at the adorable boy she had run into. “Well, would you like to come trick or treating with…,” she trailed off as she realized Shareen was nowhere to be found. “Of course, she’s gone. Mum’s gonna kill us for getting separated!”

“Would she be upset if you weren’t alone?” Theta ventured with a tiny grin and pink tinting his cheeks. “Maybe if you were with me?”

Rose smiled back at him with her own blush, but nodded quickly. “Still upset. My mum…well…she’s something else. Let’s put it that way.”

Theta winced, but figured she couldn’t be much scarier than some of his Academy professors. “Unfortunately, Rose, it seems there might not be much choice. I don’t see anyone looking for a lost friend and my own friend seems to have wandered off.”

That small, hot hand slid into his again as Rose started to walk with him. The warmth wasn’t uncomfortable, though. Far from it, as her warmth seemed to radiate into him like being wrapped in a fluffy blanket or sitting in front of a nice fire. “What are you supposed to be anyway?” Rose asked.

Halloween, he could be anything he wanted, the people of Earth hadn’t done anything more than travel to their moon. Being Halloween, he could actually tell her the truth. He grinned and gave a little twirl, grin widening when his robes flared. He loved it when they did that! “I’m an alien. But not your regular old alien. I’m from a distant world where they look like humans and wear these robes because they’re a stuffy lot who enjoy bureaucracy and rules.”

Rose giggled at him as she reached out to run a hand along his sleeve, feeling the cloth that felt like a cross between velvet and satin. “That’s actually pretty cool. I like your robe.” She pulled her hand back and laced their fingers back together, drawing a happy sigh from Theta. “I think I saw your friend take off right before I ran into you. Was he wearing the same thing?”

Theta nodded. “We came up with the idea together.”

Rose glanced over at him and realized he wasn’t carrying anything. “Hang on. How were you planning on trick or treating without a bag or bucket to hold your candy?”

Theta patted his robe as if searching and then shrugged. “Hadn’t really thought about that.”

“What sort of alien are you? You’re supposed to understand Earth customs before visiting.” Rose teased as she released his hand to dig into her bag. “Here, you can share with me. I usually eat most of it before I get home since Mum will only let me have a few pieces a day.”

Theta grinned as a few things were dropped into his hand. With a grin, he opened a tiny bag of something called jelly babies and cautiously placed one into his mouth. “Oh, these are good!”

“Have you never had them before?” Rose popped a small piece of chocolate into her mouth after asking. 

Theta shook his head and then swallowed before answering. “We’re not really allowed to have candy. And even when they do allow us, they don’t have these back home.”

Rose looped her arm through his and began to skip up to a house in the nearby neighborhood her mum would allow her and Shareen to trick or treat in. “That’s just rubbish. Stick with me, Theta! We’ll eat candy until our stomachs burst!”

Theta giggled at the hyperbole and stuck close to Rose. He was beginning to adore this fascinating human.

****

Nearly three hours later, Rose and Theta were sitting on a bench near the time capsule so he’d see Koschei when he arrived. The two new friends had worked their way through the entire neighborhood, holding hands the whole way, and had eaten most of Rose’s candy. Theta was starting to regret having so much. The flipping in his stomach wasn’t pleasant in the least. 

Rose winced as Theta let out a low moan. “I’m sorry. I should have slowed you down since you haven’t had a lot of candy before.”

Theta shook his head as he worked on speeding up his metabolism. In a few minutes, he should be able to work through the worst of it. “Not your fault, Rose. I should have been more cautious.”

Rose pressed herself against Theta’s side as a cold breeze blew through the park. “Maybe I should have put another layer on under this.” She plucked at the furry tunic of her wolf costume. “I mean, I have some clothes on under here, but apparently not thick enough for this wind.”

Theta ran his eyes over her costume. “You’re a wolf, right?”

Rose nodded a little shyly. “I would have liked to be something cuter, but by the time Mum had enough money for a costume, there wasn’t much left to choose from,” she confessed quietly.

Theta nodded as a thought struck him. She had complimented his, but he hadn’t said a word about hers. That was rude, wasn’t it? “You look beautiful.”

It must have been the right thing to say, because Rose’s eyes widened and a large smile lit up her face. “Thank you,” she ducked her head shyly and tucked a wayward piece of hair behind her ear.

“Theta! There you are!” Koschei ran up to them, plopping down onto the bench next to them and rummaging around in his pocket for a piece of candy. 

“We have pockets in these?!” Theta started pushing his hands along his robe and gasped as he found the pocket. 

Koschei blinked at him before collapsing into laughter. “You didn’t know?!” He was trying to say other things, but the words were garbled up by his laughter. 

Theta began to pout, but Rose’s soft giggle caused a smile to twitch at his lips. Koschei finally got himself under control and stood up. “We should head back. We’re already going to be in tons of trouble.”

Theta stood as well, but hesitated at the thought of leaving Rose alone. He was about to offer to walk her home when another girl’s voice rang out. “Rosie! Oh my gosh! I’ve been so worried about you!”

Rose was yanked into a hug by a girl just slightly taller than her. “Oi! You’re the one who ran off, Shareen!” Her tone was scolding, but she was returning the fierce hug. She pulled back and turned to look shyly up at Theta. “I should probably get home, too. It’s getting late.”

Theta’s heart thudded uncomfortably at the thought of parting with this girl. In so short a time, she had become deeply important to him, in a way he couldn’t even begin to describe. Despite being from a primitive planet, she was clever and funny and generous. She was a mystery with her glowing timelines. Not to mention she was beautiful, just as he had told her minutes before. He couldn’t go back to Gallifrey and never see her again. He just couldn’t. “I’ll come back and visit you when I can, Rose. I promise. Even if it’s not until we’re both grown.”

Rose’s smile morphed into a bright grin. “You better!” She popped up on her toes before she could lose her nerve and pressed her lips quickly to Theta’s cooler ones. It was her first kiss and she couldn’t think of anyone better to share it with. Watching Theta’s eyes widen and his cheeks darken as he pressed his fingers to his lips, she guessed it was his first kiss, too.

****

Theta wasn’t entirely certain what Rose had just done. Time Lords weren’t allowed to touch anyone outside of family due to their telepathy. Not that he cared, since he hadn’t let go of her hand most of the evening, but whatever Rose had done, he wanted to do it again. Without pause, he leaned forward and quickly returned the touch, pressing his lips to hers. As her bashful smile brightened, he found his own smile mirroring hers. “I mean it, Rose Tyler! We’ll see each other again!”

He turned at Koschei’s tug on his robe and followed his friend quickly back to the time capsule. If he didn’t leave now, he’d be too tempted to stay with Rose. 

“Think you can get us home? Or will you be too busy thinking about Rose?” Koschei teased. 

Theta stuck his tongue out, but didn’t answer. There was a very real chance that he’d fling them into a black hole, but he hoped the time capsule would lead him on how to safely pilot them home.

****

The Doctor tried to find his glowing Rose in every incarnation. It was the reason he was on Earth so much. One day, he knew he’d find her again. He almost succeeded twice. In his fourth body, he’d seen her, but it was just a couple months after that Halloween. Since he couldn’t bring her with him yet, he did what he could for her and purchased the red bicycle she desperately wanted but her mum couldn’t afford. Her bright smile as she rushed out to ride it, with Jackie following and yelling about Rose needing a coat and gloves, fueled his own good mood for weeks.

The second time, he was in his sixth body. He saw a sixteen year old Rose walking home from a friend’s house as the sun was setting. The lurker in the shadows, who was tracking her every movement with evil intentions in his eyes, never saw him coming. Despite Peri’s disapproval of his new form, he was grateful for his quick temper and larger frame as he disposed of the other man quickly and dropped him off somewhere in the Australian Outback. Far away from his Rose.

****

Finally, when they were all gone and he’d given up hope, he heard a young woman yelling and decided to save one more human before ending his own life. As he grew closer to the woman, golden timelines danced around her, brighter and more sparkling than any he had seen since that one magical Halloween a thousand years before. His pulse and pace quickened as his grin grew into something that made his cheeks ache. He tamped it down, not wanting to seem absolutely barmy to the woman who had captured his hearts so long ago. 

He grabbed her hand, still scalding with a warmth that seeped down into his bones and chased away the chill that had settled in over the centuries. He knew he couldn’t completely hide his excitement when large, familiar hazel eyes snapped over to meet his. It was finally time. “Run!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn’t supposed to have another chapter. I was just going to let it be as is. But then inspiration struck and here I am again. I don’t foresee coming back to it after this since it would play out very similar to something else I’m working on. This takes place after World War Three. Enjoy!

The Doctor thought of Rose, as he often did while tinkering under the console. She didn’t seem to remember him from that Halloween that was only seven years ago for her, centuries ago for him. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disheartened by the fact. 

On the one hand, he wasn’t sure if she’d be repulsed to know she had shared her first kiss with an alien who ended up with such a daft face. She may be so disgusted she’d demand he take her home. And after watching over her and trying to find a time to invite her to travel with him for so long, he thought leaving her behind may well destroy him.

On the other hand, he knew she felt something for him. The way she smiled at him, the way she always reached for his hand, the way she never hesitated to offer or receive a celebratory hug. Everything just seemed comfortable and natural for them. Maybe if she knew, they could try to be more. But then again, a kiss didn’t necessarily mean much between humans. 

He sighed as he slid out from underneath the console. He had contemplated the same thing many times before and always ended up just talking himself in circles. He stopped off in his room to wash his hands and make sure he looked presentable before heading off to find Rose.

She was perched on the sofa in the library, flipping through a small photo album. As the Doctor rounded the sofa to take his spot at the other end, Rose grinned up at him. “Here’s trouble.”

“Oi! Miss Jeopardy-Friendly-I-Think-We-Should-Blow-Up-This-Landmark-Building-While-We’re-Trapped-Inside!”

Rose giggled as she lightly smacked the Doctor’s arm. “Shut up.”

“What are you looking at?” The Doctor nodded towards her album.

Rose turned so he could see the pictures as well. “It’s an old photo album I had at Mum’s. Figured I’d bring it along.”

She flipped a couple pages and stopped when she came to a photo from that Halloween, dressed in her wolf costume. “How old were you here?”

Rose smiled slightly. “Twelve. Shareen and I were going trick or treating on our own, which made us feel extremely grown up. But we got separated after I knocked down this boy.” Her cheeks flushed at the memory of the adorable boy she had met that night. 

The Doctor grinned. “You’re blushing.”

Rose shook her head and put her hands on her flaming cheeks. “He was extremely cute. Anyway, since Shareen and I had been separated, he offered to walk with me. He was very gentlemanly and kind,” she giggled a little as she admitted, “and my first kiss.” Her smile fell into something a little sad. “He promised he’d come back to see me once we were both adults, but that was ages ago. I’m sure he forgot all about me.” She sighed quietly and flipped to another page. 

The Doctor didn’t want her to think she’d been forgotten. After all, she was constantly on his mind for 900 years. “I doubt he forgot you, Rose Tyler. Probably just hasn’t had the chance to make good on that promise, yet.”

“Maybe,” she allowed with a little shrug. 

Soon after, Rose started yawning and reluctantly headed off to bed, unwilling to leave when she was having such a nice time talking with the Doctor.

****

The Doctor felt like he was walking on air the next day. Rose remembered him, although she didn’t know it was him. At least it was something. 

Rose entered the galley dressed and ready to go and the Doctor’s grin grew. “You’re in for a treat today, Rose Tyler! We’re going to a spa planet!”

****

Eighteen hours later, Rose trudged back into the TARDIS, dirty, sweaty, exhausted and delighted. “Maybe it wasn’t the relaxing day you had hoped. But we did good here, Doctor.”

“I know.” He moved to the console and sent them into the vortex. “That drug ring needed to be shut down, but I was hoping to give you something a little more tourist and less hero of the universe. This is a timeship,” he glared up at the central column, “the drug ring could have been shut down another day.”

Rose just giggled at his disgruntled expression and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “I’m off to get cleaned up. Night, Doctor.”

“Night, Rose.”

Rose tossed and turned for close to an hour, wishing for sleep to claim her. She was worn out after that adventure, but there was still too much adrenaline coursing through her to let her thoughts turn off. With a sigh, she threw off her blankets and headed for the library. If she could find something mind-numbingly boring, maybe it would help.

Rose had been given a quick tour of the library upon her arrival, so she had a general idea of where things were. She also knew she could ask for the TARDIS’s help and some recommendations would be waiting at eye level down the fourth aisle to the left. She put her hand to the wall and asked for a little help. It had felt odd to talk to the ship at first, but Rose found out the TARDIS was immensely helpful and enjoyed getting the ship’s opinion on things. 

She wandered down the fourth aisle looking at the ship’s suggestions when a crimson book caught her eye. It was embossed with symbols that looked similar to the Doctor’s post-it notes on the console. She grinned as she ran her fingers over the gold writing. 

She picked up the book out of curiosity and found two hand-written symbols on the inside. Instead of the beautiful geometric shapes in the rest of the book, these were written in Greek letters. “Theta Sigma,” she gasped and dropped the book. “Theta.”

Memories came racing through her mind. He wasn’t accustomed to the sweets, the traditions of Halloween, he had a strange costume.

_“I’m an alien. But not your regular old alien. I’m from a distant world where they look like humans and wear these robes because they’re a stuffy lot who enjoy bureaucracy and rules.”_

_“I mean it, Rose Tyler! We’ll see each other again!”_

Rose felt her breath coming in gasps. It couldn’t be. She had to be misunderstanding. She was jumping to conclusions. 

“Figured it out, did you?”

Rose turned to see the Doctor leaning against the entrance to the library, arms crossed protectively and a guarded expression on his face.

“Th-Theta?”

The Doctor just nodded and Rose lowered herself onto the couch, sure her trembling legs wouldn’t support her for much longer. “How? I mean, that was just seven years ago, but you’re 900.”

“Time machine.” The Doctor crossed the room to sit next to her. “And I did try, Rose. But I never seemed to land where or when I needed to. I managed to see you twice, but you were too young. The first time was just a few month’s after Halloween for you. The red bicycle.”

Rose felt tears welling in her eyes. Her mum had always denied knowing where the bike came from. They had just figured it was a local charity that wished to remain anonymous. “That was you?”

The Doctor nodded. “Then when you were sixteen, you were walking home one night and some creep was following you. I knocked him out and dropped him in the middle of the Outback.”

“Thank you,” she whispered as she tried to piece it all together. Finally, she found her voice. “I was always waiting and hoping I’d see you again. I mean, I had to grow up and go make stupid mistakes like most teenagers. But you were always in the back of my mind.”

The Doctor let out a deep breath and decided to ask. “You’re not disgusted?”

Rose’s brow furrowed. “By what?”

“That your first kiss was with an alien. That the alien turned out to have such a daft face.”

Rose smiled at him, something shy and hopeful. “Not disgusted at all. And your face isn’t daft.” She tucked some hair behind her ear and fiddled with her fingers as she continued. “I’d like my next kiss to be with an alien, if that’s all right?”

“More than.” The Doctor muttered and then his lips were gliding over Rose’s lips. It was decidedly less innocent than their first kiss, but still chaste.

After the Doctor pulled away, he smiled at Rose. “You know, my first kiss was with an alien, too.”

“Who?” Rose frowned slightly and the Doctor laughed. 

“You’re an alien to me, silly little human. It was you.”

Rose giggled and tackled him in a hug, overjoyed to find out the boy who had been on her mind for years was the alien she had fallen in love with. The force of her hug sent them rolling off the couch and the Doctor ended up straddled by Rose, quite a nice place if you asked him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

The Doctor shrugged slightly. “Fear. I was afraid it would send you running, afraid you’d be repulsed. Other times I thought I should tell you, but I’d talk myself right back out of it.”

Rose pressed another kiss to his lips. “I’m glad it’s you. Ecstatic is probably a better word.”

The Doctor kissed her again and then helped her to her feet. “You need to rest now. Today was eventful.”

Rose, who was already familiar with the Doctor’s backpedaling, grew worried. “Will it all go back to how it was tomorrow? Or is this our new normal?”

“What do you want it to be, Rose?”

“I’ve already told you how I feel. Now it’s your turn.”

The Doctor sighed. “I searched for you for 900 years, wishing every day that I would finally find you and you’d be ready to travel with me. I want this to be our new normal,” he declared as he slid his hand into her hair and pulled her in for another heart-stopping kiss. 

She pulled back and gave him a saucy grin. “The Doctor and Rose. Saving worlds by day, doing other fun things that begin with ‘s’ at night.” She bounced her eyebrows and the Doctor couldn’t help the startled laugh that burst out of him.

“Off to bed with you.”

“Will you come with me?” Rose looked up at him and felt her eyes widen when his jaw fell slack. “Not for that! I was just having trouble sleeping. That’s why I was in here.”

The smile he gave her was her favorite, the one she had only seen him give her when they were alone. The one he wore when she said, ‘Better with two.’ “Always.”


End file.
